Pentagon begins phase-out of ban on transgender service

By Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post and staff reports

Published 2:41 pm, Thursday, June 30, 2016

Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

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Defense Secretary Ash Carter listens to a question during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 30, 2016, where he announced new rules allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the U.S. military.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter listens to a question during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 30, 2016, where he announced new rules allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the U.S. military.

Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Pentagon begins phase-out of ban on transgender service

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Defense Secretary Ashton Carter repealed the Pentagon’s long-held ban on transgender people serving in the military Thursday, ending a year-long process that was bogged down by internal conflict and concerns among senior service officials about how the change could be made.

Carter said at a news conference that the policy change will take place over the next 12 months, beginning with guidance issued to current transgender service members and their commanders, followed by training for the entire military. Beginning Thursday, however, service members can no longer be involuntarily separated from the services solely on the basis of being transgender, he said.

“Our mission is to defend this country, and we don’t want barriers unrelated to a person’s qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who can best accomplish the mission,” Carter said. “We have to have access to 100 percent of America’s population for our all-volunteer forces to be able to recruit from among them the most highly qualified — and to retain them.”

Over the next 90 days, the Pentagon will follow up by completing and issuing a commander’s guidebook for leading transgender service members who already are in the military and medical guidance to doctors for providing gender transition care if required for those already in uniform. The Defense Department also will immediately initiate changes so that transgender troops can alter their gender in personnel management systems.

“There are an estimated 2,500 Active Duty and 1,500 Reserve transgender troops in the military and over 134,000 transgender veterans -- these individuals up until today served in anonymity,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

“This policy decision prioritizes the effectiveness of the force over politics -- something IAVA has always advocated for. IAVA will continue to lead to ensure LGBT service members are treated with the same dignity and respect afforded to all members of the military. IAVA commends Secretary Carter and the Department of Defense’s decision to lift the ban on transgender members in the military.”

Beginning in October, the services will begin training rank-and-file service members about the change. No later than a year from now, the military services will begin allowing transgender service members who meet all standards to openly join the military, provided that they are considered stable in their identified gender for 18 months, as certified by their doctor.

Carter said he has discussed the implementation plan with senior military leaders, including Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Pentagon chief made adjustments to his plan based on those recommendations, prompting the service chiefs to signal support for the change.

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U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called for Congress to pass the Equality Act to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the historic Civil Rights Act.

“As I wrote in a letter to Secretary Carter earlier this month, ‘the historic repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2010 showed that we have only strengthened our military by honoring our values of freedom and equality.’ Lifting the ban on transgender Americans serving in uniform is an issue of fundamental fairness. No longer will transgender people in uniform suffer the injustice of being forced to leave the service because of who they are or their gender identity,” Pelosi said in a statement.